domingo, abril 16, 2006

Canela en la batalla con la diabetes

Cinnamon may be another weapon in the fight against diabetes, U.S. Department of Agriculture researchers say.

Researchers, led by Richard Anderson of the federal agency's Beltsville, Md., Human Nutrition Research Center, presented two papers on cinnamon to the Experimental Biology 2006 meeting in San Francisco.

In one lab study, the team said it found that cinnamon contains polyphenols, or antioxidants, that boost proteins that are important in activating insulin, transporting glucose and responding to inflammation, Web site WebMD reported.

The second study extracted proanthocyanidin, a type of polyphenol in the commonly used spice that researchers say may have insulin-like properties.

In earlier research, Anderson fed large doses of cinnamon to type 2 diabetics, whose insulin sensitivity improved during the study and diminished once they stopped taking cinnamon, the report said.